Telecom
Microsoft Lumia 535: The Right Dual Sim Device
Lumia 535, the first Windows Phone handset from Microsoft that ditched Nokia branding, goes a long way, improving on the shortcomings of Lumia 530, to say the least.
……….Thumb Up: 5-inch, 960 x 540 screen; Snapdragon 200 processor; 5MP cameras front and rear; 8GB of storage; dual (microSD-Sim slots.
Thumb Down: The Microsoft Lumia 535 is found wanting in 4G LTE connectivity; its under-powered processor results in a sluggish interface. Also, the touchscreen can be unresponsive, while the screen is neither sharp nor particularly vivid…………….
Although, from the design, size, and other key features, the nice looking with replaceable covers – available in matte plastic options- orange, black, grey, green, white and cyan, doesn’t appear as a cheap phone.
Microsoft aggressively targeting the entry-level and the budget smartphone segments is particularly showing intents; to ensure the brand becomes a household name in the Nigeria’s smartphone market, just like the rested Nokia.
Definitely, Nigerian phone lovers with penchant liking for colour, unfettered look, will not be disappointed because Lumia 535 is already here and finding itself in the waiting hands of students and young people; notwithstanding, it serves every class.
We believe most cheap phones mustn’t have smaller, 4-inch or so screens, and the 5-inch Lumia 535 shows Microsoft thinks outside the box. Thus, such design aligns Lumia 535 with the much more expensive rivals. Here is our review:
Build & Design
Actually, Microsoft cannot claim to have totally ‘scratched off’ ‘Nokia Lumia’ designs with the launch of the ‘first’ Micosoft branded Lumia 535.
On close examination and though no visibility of Nokia branding, the Lumia 535 doesn’t appear to be very different from other Nokia Lumia budget phones such as Lumia 530 and 630 and all the other predecessors and the only thing that stands out is the Microsoft logo at the front and back.
The Lumia 535 looks similar to Lumia 530, complete with rounded corners and a changeable coloured back cover that wraps around the phone. The major difference is the larger size which is majorly due to the inclusion of a bigger display
Meanwhile, Microsoft is not excusable on how the case and battery sometimes ‘pop out’ when dropped; the appliances dislodge more often than not.
Nonetheless, the ‘Gorilla Glass’, as a shield, ensures the screen remains fairly sturdy and scratch-free. But Microsoft shouldn’t see that as enough protection following the manner the case and battery dislodge.
As a consolation, the 8GB of built-in storage should prove ample for lighter users. If that’s not enough then there’s a microSD card slot, too. We understand, “You don’t get 4G at this price, but you do get Bluetooth 4.0 and – unlike some cheaper phones – it has an ambient light sensor as well”.
Well, the right edge of the phone features the power and volume rocker keys, in the same colour as that of the shell and offer good tactile feedback. The top edge sports the 3.5mm headset jack while the bottom features the micro-USB port.
Display
One thing comes to mind: Nigeria youths are known for their penchant interest in watching nollywood movies and other entertainment contents. Then, Lumia 535’s 5-inch screen is on the large side and will definitely meet your fancy.
You have interests in watching YouTube, Irokotv, IbakaTv; and Microsoft was timely with the launch, because Nigerians are on the verge of digital switchover when many will begin to appreciate such contents.
In other words, browsing through your phone will be easy too.
It has a 960×540-pixel IPS LCD resolution; high-resolution photos, too, lack the crisp clarity you’ll see on screens with more pixels though. The truth remains that the 960×540-pixel resolution does result in turning it on slightly improves under sun readability.
The Windows Phone interface is perfectly clear, however, and basic apps like email and calendar, along with commonly used apps such as Twitter, Facebook and Spotify, are all easily readable.
The viewing angles are fair, nevertheless, it ought to have been improved on; they look particularly ‘washed-out’ when you view them next to more vivid displays such as the one on the slightly pricier Lumia 735.
Software
Microsoft Lumia 535, of course, comes with Windows Phone 8.1. The latest software update, codenamed Denim is therein with some Nokia-exclusive features. Importantly, Windows Phone 8 is easy on the eye, made up lots of large, bright tiles that show live information. Interestingly, one can resize these tiles and reorder them to suit your preferences, set different backgrounds and group tiles together into folders, thanks to the Denim software update.
Similarly, Windows Phone 8.1 ironed out inconsistencies and achieves feature parity with competing smartphone platforms like Android and iOS. It pretty much covers the basics and would satisfy most casual users.
Another recent feature is the notification panel that you pull down from the top of the screen, like in Android. It shows incoming notfications from your messaging apps or emails, as well as giving quick access to critical settings such as Wi-Fi and screen brightness; while update 1 brings features like Live Folders, Cortana support (alpha) for India, SMS merge and forwarding, consumer VPN and Internet Explorer improvements.
Lumia 535 promises easy usage. For instance, you can now select individual text messages to either delete them out of a messaging thread, or copy and past them into a new message to forward them.
More so, Lumia 353 is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, backed up by 1GB of RAM. Thus, it has the capacity to run most everyday tasks, including streaming movies in Netflix, but more demanding games are not handled well.
Camera
Lumia 535 posits 5-megapixel cameras both on the back and the front; measuring 1/4 inch sensor, f/2.4 aperture and 28mm focal length, with auto-focus and LED flash.
It comes with pre-loaded Bing vision, Creative Studio, Lumia Camera, Lumia Selfie camera apps.
And the inclusion of the LED flash helps the phone take pictures in the dark and front camera facilitates selfies and Skype chats.
The quality of still images shot in abundant light was great, depicting accuracy in colour reproduction and good contrast.
The video quality as captured with the phone was basically average.
Performance
Coming from ‘brilliant’ Microsoft, Lumia 535 is powered by a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 quad-core processor and 1GB RAM. It comes with 8GB internal storage and supports microSD card slots of up to 128GB for expansion.
While it is appreciable the fact the phone comes with 1GB RAM given that a number of games and apps are not optimized for 512MB devices.
On Playing Games: This could be one of the reasons that playing casual games like Temple Run and Angry Birds there is no practically any issue, but not same as playing graphics-heavy games like Asphalt 8, the frame drops.
With Windows Phone OS at work, we did not observe lag or falter while launching and switching between apps, though the apps and also did not encounter any issues while browsing the web, clicking pictures and playing videos and music.
Battery
Powered by a 1905mAh battery, Microsoft Lumia 535, with its low-power processor and low-res screen not demanding much juice, the battery shouldn’t be too heavily taxed. Indeed, Microsoft reckons you can get up to 13 hours of talktime over 3G, which isn’t too bad.
It will last you more than a full work day, basically 16 hours, even if you put the screen brightness at the highest level and use 3G data all the time. You’ll be able to make about 2-3 hours of phone calls, play some casual games and browse the web in this time period. You’ll be able to get about one and a half day backup with moderate use.
In terms of connectivity, the dual-sim handset offers 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and A-GPS.
Verdict
With plenty to offer for its cheap price, the Microsoft’s first self-branded Windows Phone handset tries to fill in the gaps.
However, there are areas where the company has made compromises. For instance, the display is not that great; the processor is also not comparable to the Lumia 630 and touch sensitivity was also problematic at times.
Essentially, Microsoft just erased ‘Nokia’ as the brand, but the inside and out features depict Nokia Lumia.
We found the positive side to include; built in battery saver; built in office, Skype one drive storage (30GB); Here maps; Xbox games; Windows10 update coming on Oct 2015; 5.0 screen; Cortana and 1GB RAM.
Also, virtually all apps available in google play are available in windows store just few apps and major apps performance speed is so good apps like What’s app; blackberry messenger; Facebook messenger; We chat and Hike messenger
But I didn’t find it funny that you need to remove battery each time to switch Sims and No compass.
Therefore, as one who desires to enjoy light gaming or video streaming on the move, a higher-end phone with 4G LTE would go for such phone as Lumia 635, nevertheless, Lumia 535 proves a good option if you need a cheap dual-SIM phone.
MTN Nigeria is accelerating investments in network expansion and modernization to address rising demand for mobile and data services across the country.
The operator is deploying additional base stations, upgrading existing infrastructure, and expanding fiber connectivity to improve network capacity, coverage, and service quality.
The investments are designed to support increasing smartphone adoption, higher data consumption, and the growing use of digital services by consumers and businesses.
MTN said the expansion aligns with its long-term strategy to enhance customer experience while strengthening Nigeria’s digital infrastructure.
The company expects the ongoing upgrades to improve connectivity, support economic growth, and enable broader access to reliable telecommunications services as demand for high-speed broadband continues to increase.
Airtel Africa’s CEO, Sunil Taldar, has announced the telco’s commitment to connecting 5,000 schools across its operating countries in Africa to the internet by 2027 through its philanthropic arm, Airtel Africa Foundation, in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
So far, the $57m partnership, which was launched in 2021, has cumulatively connected 3,296 schools and provided access to over 2 million learners and about 40,000 teachers. 64 digital learning platforms have been zero-rated thereby enabling more than 11m users to access educational content at no cost.
Speaking during a visit to St. Monica’s Girls School in Lusaka, which is one of the 300 schools already connected to the internet in Zambia, the Airtel Africa CEO stated that the initiative is having a profound impact on the quality of education by expanding access to digital learning resources for African children, in collaboration with governments.
Mr Taldar added: “Students are accessing best-in-class education from the curriculum developed by UNICEF in partnership with various Ministries of Education and provided through Airtel’s connectivity.
“We are also training teachers, so that they deliver digital education effectively. We aim to continue deepening meaningful connectivity in schools by providing free internet access, zero‑rated platforms and training teachers across the continent”.
Expressing her appreciation, the Headmistress of St. Monica’s Girls’ School, Sr Matilda Soloko said: “Being among the first schools connected in the initial stage, our learners have been able to study using the learning portal and their studies have been intensified. We remain grateful to Airtel and UNICEF.”
UNICEF’s Country Representative for Zambia, Dr Saja Farooq Abdullah said: “What this partnership has brought is really bridging the equality gap and the digital divide. It is making sure that every child learns wherever they are. It was exciting and interesting to see and hear from the girls how they can learn at their own pace, how they can review the materials, and how they do their homework with comfort.
The Director of Secondary Education in Zambia’s Ministry of Education, Yvonne Mwemba Chuulu lauded UNICEF and Airtel for the partnership saying: “At the Ministry of Education, we cannot do it alone, and we are grateful for the partnership that we have today.
“Our children are able to learn in a blended fashion, where we have a teacher who is also employing digital devices. We have also heard from the learners that they are able to access the portal when they are at home, which is a good thing because our learners continue to learn in the comfort of their homes”.
The School Connection programme is expanding digital learning to learners in 13 countries: Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. By equipping these schools with internet connectivity and training teachers on using the digital tools, it is providing children, particularly in underserved and remote regions, with the digital tools and skills they need to thrive.
Airtel Africa Foundation is advancing inclusive development across four strategic pillars, Financial Inclusion, Education, Environmental Sustainability and Digital Inclusion.
MultiChoice has officially become a wholly owned subsidiary of French media company Canal+, marking the completion of one of the largest acquisitions in Africa’s media and entertainment industry.
The integration brings the South Africa-based pay television operator under the full ownership of Canal+, a global media group with operations in 70 countries.
Announcing the completion of the transaction on Thursday, Chief Executive Officer of Canal+ Africa and MultiChoice, David Mignot, described the development as the beginning of a new phase of growth for the broadcaster.
“MultiChoice is now a full subsidiary of a truly international media group operating in 70 countries.
“The group was founded in France, is listed in London and Johannesburg, and has a strong African presence with operations in more than 45 countries,” Mignot said.
The acquisition combines Canal+’s international operations with MultiChoice’s extensive footprint across sub-Saharan Africa, where it serves millions of households through its DStv and GOtv platforms, as well as the Showmax streaming service.
According to Canal+, the integration will strengthen MultiChoice’s competitive position by giving it access to broader financial resources, technology, content partnerships and operational expertise.
The company said the combined business would increase investment in local content production, sports broadcasting and streaming services as competition intensifies from global platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+.
The transaction is also expected to provide MultiChoice with greater access to international markets at a time when traditional pay television operators are adapting to changing consumer viewing habits and the rapid growth of digital streaming platforms.
Canal+ has expanded steadily across Africa over the past decade and now assumes full control of a business operating in more than 45 African countries, further strengthening its position in the continent’s media and entertainment sector.
The acquisition followed Canal+’s gradual increase in its shareholding in MultiChoice, which began in 2024.
After exceeding the regulatory threshold, the company launched a mandatory offer in April 2024 to acquire the remaining shares of the Johannesburg-listed broadcaster.
Following regulatory approvals and shareholder acceptance, Canal+ secured control of MultiChoice in 2025 before completing the process that has now made the company a wholly owned subsidiary.
Industry observers describe the acquisition as one of the most significant media transactions involving an African company, reflecting a broader trend of consolidation as global entertainment firms seek greater scale to compete in the streaming era.
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